Standing at the base of an Old Cedar, Hemlock, Spruce, or Douglas fir when looking up you can see the magnificent size and feel the shade that gentle giant produces. That tree is providing you with shade from the heat of the sun, covering you from the drops of rain. Stop, listen quietly, you will realize that the tree is not there just protecting you but providing protection for all the life that comes by that tree. Eighty percent of the earth’s land animals and plants live in the forest. The trees also help maintain the moist soil of the forest and assist in the water cycle. Trees absorb the greenhouse gasses that are a part of global warming.
Growing up in a rural area in the Pacific Northwest you get use to trees surrounding you basically twenty- four seven but once you leave the area things can change. While I was away at college there was this one mountain top that has been covered by the green forest. For all my life this was what I saw each time I passed this mountain top. Until just recently the ride home when I saw for the first time the brown of the grass next to the highway, the sun glaring in my eyes the area that has always had trees is now gone and there are no replacement trees or anything just the stumps of the trees that use to watch over this area for generation’s.
One of the many areas that have been logged along the roads of the PNW HWY112
When we are logging these areas we need to understand the risks that we are also taking. While we are logging and stripping an area we are compromising the ground and making it more susceptible for a landslide or for ground movement later on. Little that we know is that while we are logging these areas we need to know that we are taking away its protective barrier. Without the shade the roots die and then where those roots use to stand are now empty holes that can fill with water then later on BOOM you got yourself a sink hole in the middle of the Walmart that you are shopping in.
This is the everyday work site of most people that live in Washington
While we know that deforestation is a natural event in some areas but in a majority of others it is man made. Clear cutting is the most current and the most relevant way of logging today I do not know why this is. By eliminating clear cutting we could help slow deforestation down rather than saying goodbye to the forests. This does not mean eliminating clear cutting completely there can be a solution for every tree that the company has taken they need to replace it with a sapling of the same species that has always lived in the area.
How do you think you can help keep the Pacific Northwest way it is? We need to step up on individual level as well. King County has a forestry help for landowners. Foresters can help landowners plan with meeting personal goals. They can assist in growing healthy forests, improving wildlife habitats and protecting water sources. Participating in programs like this allow for individuals make a positive impact towards maintaining and restoring the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.
Okay I get it you are not a landowner how can you help. Go paperless, when at home or work use screen time opt out for the paper copy. When shopping buy recycled products. Majority of recycled products are not created from areas that have been cleared of natural forests. Connected to using recycled products recycle as much as possible. By recycling items you eliminate the demand for clearing land for supply.
You hear someone say I am from the Pacific Northwest. What does that mean when you hear Pacific Northwest? It is not just the region in North America that is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Cascade Mountains to the east. The Pacific Northwest is trees, trails, and mountain ranges all creating fresh air. With the threat of deforestation comes the threat to a lost identity of what the Pacific Northwest is.
Deforestation. (2015–2018). In National Geographic. Retrieved May 12, 2018, from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/deforestation/
Pacific Northwest. (2018, May 10). In Wikipidia. Retrieved May 12, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Northwest
Forestry services and information . (2018). In King County. Retrieved May 12, 2018, from https://www.kingcounty.gov/services/environment/water-and-land/forestry.aspx
